Sunset
by gotmyvanson
Summary: Quinn had always been the one afraid of hurting Rachel throughout their whole relationship but when Rachel is the one that does the hurting what will happen to the two?
1. Prologue

A/N - After a long hiatus, I'm back. If anyone is still reading from my previous stories...hello!

* * *

It could be said that in the span of her short life, there were countless moments that defined her character in glory and in shame. This was not one of the better moments for the young blonde as she stood on the walkway of her second story apartment complex tossing clothing, books, pictures, shoes and anything else that came within reach of her hands. It wasn't until she began grabbing electronics that she paused, only briefly, before sending the laptop over the side. It felt good to hear the crashing as metal met with unforgiving asphalt and a little smile crossed her face for a moment before the reality of the situation hit her again and with renewed vigor kept throwing over the last items.

"Are you done now, Quinn? Can we at least talk about this?" the small, melodic voice from below hit her ears. It made her stomach churn, a fresh wave of nausea washing over her and she looked down at her hands as if searching for an answer hidden there in her palms. "Quinn? Please…." was followed by the sound of footfalls on crushed glass from the laptop causing a panic to wash over Quinn momentarily before she inhaled deeply, trying to draw strength and resolve from somewhere deep inside. It wasn't much but she managed to look over the railing and down at the mess she had created in the parking lot.

It wasn't the scattered clothing or the heaps of broken goods that made her worried. Quinn was sure that her landlord had seen worse or, at the very least, would be over later to give her some sort of warning. What worried her was how her resolve waivered as she stared down at the small figure. The brunette seemed older somehow. Maybe it was the fact that for once, it wasn't Quinn that had done the hurt and the innocence that once was all around was gone now. Those deep chocolate eyes stared up at her with a look that seemed as much pleading as it was haughty and arrogant. _Typical_, she thought to herself and then shook her head, speaking out her mind for once, "Typical. You think you do no wrong, that you are somehow above hurting me but you messed up. You. Not me. We're done. Just go…please…go," and with that, Quinn turned on her heel and walked away from the girl who had stolen her heart a decade ago.

She had lived for the light in Rachel's eyes, she had believed that they could make it in this crazy world together and somehow defy all the odds that seemed to always be stacked against them but, just like everything else it was just an illusion. Once the door to her apartment was closed all the rage seemed to leave from her and her proud shoulders slumped as she crawled onto her couch, pulling the blanket over her head. "I can't…I just can't," she whispered to no one, closing her eyes against tears that she knew she could and would not shed.

* * *

Down below, Rachel stared up through the small slit in the railings at the closed door to the apartment she once shared with the blonde. Clenching her jaw tightly, she took her phone and typed a simple text message I'm ready now


	2. Chapter 1

A/N - as for always, for my first fan, SomeAreLakes...

* * *

Bolting straight up, covers slipping onto the floor around her bed the blonde looked around with a wild look in her eyes. It was the look of someone who was startled awake by some unknown force and, as she tried to stand, she fell onto the floor with a dull _thud_. "Fuck," she muttered and did her best to crawl towards her jeans, which lay at the foot of the bed where she had tossed them the night before and grabbed the phone, swiping her finger and turning off the alarm that had blasted her awake. Quinn sat there for a moment, running her hands through her hair and tried to let the previous nights events come back to her. There had been alcohol and….lips? A flurry of memories of lips crashing on hers, her lips on skin and limps intertwining with one another came to her as she looked up to the leg dangling off the edge of her bed.

Slowly she stood and placed her hand on the woman's calf, squeezing it a bit to rouse her. "Good morning…" Quinn called out softly as she watched the woman's blue eyes slowly open and blink a few times, trying to focus. When her guest smiled a little half smile at her, Quinn knew how this was supposed to play out. She gave the obligatory smile back and exited the room. It was the unspoken language of one-night stands that in the light of day, neither party was allowed to see each other naked and redressing. So Quinn just sat in her kitchen waiting for her coffee to brew.

"So…Quinn, right?…Thanks for a good time and I'll see you around, right?" the brunette asked as she hastily put on her jacket, standing by the door of Quinn's loft.

The blonde just chuckled lowly, standing from her chair and grabbing a mug. She had long since dropped the politeness and formality of offering things to her guests in the morning and, as she poured her coffee, she pretended to muse over the other woman's question. "We both know that neither of us want that. This was fun but it's okay. You can go now," she said sharply before taking a sip of her coffee, letting the robust flavor sit in her mouth and rid her palate of her guest.

As her door shut, Quinn let her shoulders slump just a bit. Countless instances of these…"encounters", as she liked to refer to them as, had taught her a few things about herself and about humanity. The blonde took another sip of her coffee as she thought about her latest guest. She was 27, a junior copywriter and from Rhode Island. Her favorite color was orange and she had an unhealthy obsession with soft drinks. And Quinn would never see her again. Laughing out loud at the absurdity that she cared enough to remember the little nuisances of her lovers when they couldn't even remember her name, Quinn put her coffee down and began to get ready for her day.

* * *

Her workday went by without much interest except that her new secretary startled her to the point that she nearly jumped out of her seat. She had been with Quinn for three days so far and in those three days, Quinn had gone out of her way to be extra nice and keep the swearing down to a minimum.

The blonde was bent over her desk, pink tongue hanging out between her teeth as she focused on curving this line on the paper in front of her in just the right angle when the phone rang, causing her a stray mark to appear. Grabbing the phone, she cradled it to her ear and heard the oh-so-familiar voice on the other end, "Hurry the fuck up, Fabray. It's 5 minutes to the end of the fucking day and it's time for us to leave."

"Well, I would be almost done if you didn't decide to call 5 minutes before the end of the day and cause me to make a mistake," rubbing the bridge of her nose in mild annoyance at her oldest friend, "It's fine. I'll just redo the whole design tomorrow. Get ready. Let's go."

After she clicked the phone down, she stood and stretched for a moment. "Mary? I'm going to head out," grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulders, adjusting the weight to settle on her hip as she walked to her secretary's desk. The woman was just a few years younger than her and looked at Quinn with a friendly smile, "Okay, Miss Fabray. Have a nice night."

Quinn made a soft "ooof" sound when her friend elbowed her in the hallway, waiting for the elevator. "You're secretary is pretty hot. Are you sure you don't just want to invite her out with us tonight?" the brunette pursed her lips a bit, looking up just slightly and into Quinn's face for some sort of answer.

"Work life and personal life are separate, San. You know that."

"Yea, yea. I know your mouth is saying 'no' but your eyes are saying something else, _Quinnie_," the brunette snickered as the elevator doors shut behind them.

Hazel eyes narrowed dangerously, "Don't ever call me that, Santana."

* * *

They practically had their names engraved on their usual seats _Lucky 13's_ but despite their nearly every day presence, their reputation remained nearly untouched. Aside from the bartender, no one ever really seemed to notice that the duo was there several times a week and that nearly every time one or both of the women left with someone.

"I'm thinking the blonde over to the left with the killer body in the blue shirt," Santana said softly as she tipped her glass to her lips, only her eyes flicking to the direction she was speaking.

Quinn didn't even have to bother looking over in that direction. She had spotted the woman when they walked in and knew that she would be the one Santana would gravitate towards. It was another unspoken rule; they did not ever mention the fact that Santana always chose women who bore a striking similarity to her ex or that Quinn always left in the company of petite, doe-eyed brunettes.

The brunette stood, downing her drink before shaking her hands out to get rid of some the tension. Quinn arched a brow as Santana leaned in close, "Back corner booth, white shirt" and then sauntered off towards her future conquest.

Quinn curled her lips up slightly in a smile but just shook her head in amusement. Santana was being presumptuous as always in thinking that Quinn was even here for that but even more presumptuous to think that Quinn hadn't seen the brunette with the gorgeous smile the moment they walked in. Downing the rest of her drink, she stood and walked over to the corner booth with a genuine smile on her face.

It was going to be another interesting night.


End file.
